It's already the end of July. It's been such a wild ride of a year. Today we stopped by Menards to get some stuff and I wandered through the sad remains of their plants. Everything is clearance priced. We picked up a few little mosquito plants. They'll be put in by the side door (at the new house) where there's such a mosquito problem that the door is unusable. Last time we went out I left the thyme, rosemary, basil and catnip plants out there in hopes they'd help too. It's not a very sunny space (hence the mosquito problem), but I'm up to try just about any natural remedy.

Today I gender-checked all four of the three-week-old litters. The O, P, and R litters all got names. We're still discussing the Q litter. They're too cute for words. Seriously, they're adorable.

I figure this must be the cutest bunny ever to exist. I'd like to snuggle with him all the time. He's fluffy, and pudgy, and soft. He's one of Caduci Mook's kits, so he will be big and have floppy ears.

Some potential names we've thrown in the ring for the Q litter include Quetzal, Q (character from Star Trek), Quiche, and Quiddich. I like Quimby too (Inspector Gadget reference). Maybe Quince? I'll have to run them by #2 since these are his babies. He's going to have to pick a price for them soon too.

Today, after much debate, we decided to let #5 keep Neelix as his very own bunny. We feel that letting him keep this bunny will be good for him. He's not good with change (thank you Aspergers), and when he said he didn't want to sell Neelix my heart broke. We've had dozens of bunnies, and he's petted and held most of them, and he's never asked to keep one. In fact he doesn't seem bothered that people buy them and take them away. But something about Neelix has stolen his heart. He adores this little bunny. I told him someone wanted to buy Neelix and he (remember he's just three years old) looked up at me, holding Neelix in his arms, and said "But I don't want to sell Neelix. I thought we were going to keep him forever. Neelix is my bunny. I love him." I know we don't need another mixed breed buck, much less a small one, and we could better use our cage space for better breeding stock... And I suspect that at some point #5 will loose interest in Neelix (likely when Neelix becomes too big for #5 to easily pick up and carry). Despite all of this, I'd rather let him keep Neelix, love on him, cuddle him, sing to him, carry him around the yard, and learn some responsibility. And when he decides that he no longer wants to play with Neelix, it will be a teachable moment. I will involve him in finding a home for Neelix, as that's the responsible thing to do. This will give him something physical to hold on to during the big change from city life to country life, a new home, new patterns, new sights and sounds. Things that will be a little overwhelming for our Aspergian household. To the family that wanted Neelix - I do apologize. I typically do not advertise animals we plan to keep, and I had no intention of keeping Neelix until #5 expressed his concern with having to let him go.

*Note: Yes, #5 calls Neelix his, and we refer to Neelix as belonging to #5, but Neelix will be cared for with the rest of the herd, fed and watered daily by an adult or supervised child, and will not be at the mercy of a three year old for basic care. I'm aware that a three year old isn't capable to shoveling manure, scrubbing cage wires, repairing feed bins, etc. He does enjoy filling Neelix's feed bin and water bottle though (with adult help).